The Best Way to Improve is to Get Your Arse Kicked..

[MaartenSFS]

Over and over and over... then spar with those of lesser ability and - POOF - the things they just used to lay a beating on you start coming out of you and now you are the one kicking arse. Things you never knew that you knew come out of thin air, seemingly, and you revel in that moment when the tides change - until the master comes back and gives you some more, lest you get too cocky.

Of course, one must still train solo so that there is some foundation to build upon. It's not REALLY magic, after all.

[Dave T]

+1, getting your arse kicked and getting up for more is the real definition of learning to "eat bitter"

[JoeWood]

It is the best kept secret in martial arts.

[grzegorz]

That's what BJJ's "secret" is.

[MaartenSFS]

Sorry. Despite my best efforts, I am indeed crude..

The secret's out!

[Bao]

Of course, one must still train solo so that there is some foundation to build upon. It's not REALLY magic, after all.

Well, the real key, IMHO, is about how to connect those two, i.e. foundations into sparring. Most TMA people who compete don't show or don't use that they have developed any traditional CMA foundation.

So, IMHO, "just sparring" is "just sparring". How do you (yes, not a "General you", but addressed to you Martin) practice fighting or spar with the foundation you practice solo?

[MaartenSFS]

Good question. Firstly, the people that are kicking your arse should know the applications of the things you train. Some of that will rub off on you and come out all by itself when you spar with lesser opponents later on. Secondly, when sparring with those lesser opponents (especially), you should always plan to use this or that application, even if you get hit. You can take more risks with them, so experiment.

When sparring with people from other styles, this all of this applies too, but it's a bit different. There is a saying that when your opponent uses your techniques during a fight (having learned them by fighting you), then you have lost. If anyone knows the exact quote and where it's from, I'd love to know.

[Ian]

This is a very simplistic and slow method of learning.

[I-mon]

It's probably the most powerful psychological trigger though, which is going to do wonders for your learning abilities.

[Ian]

Getting your ass kicked / investing in loss is important, but doesn't begin to address how to improve your weak areas, doesn't teach you how to win, only how to survive, doesn't even touch upon the mesolimbic dopamine system, how to get your mindset right e.g. fire in your belly, never being satisfied with your standard... and so on.

Here are three great videos on how to learn. Quiet different than the OP's advice.

[MaartenSFS]

I didn't say it was the only way to improve..

[Ian]

Nor did I.

But you did say it's the best way to improve. I think your meaning was clear.

[Bhassler]

Haven't been able to watch the videos (at work), but it seems that specificity of the ass-kicking has a lot to do with it. When I was doing Capoeira one night my teacher really dominated me in the Roda, and he did it all using great forward pressure, which in my experience was not common to see in Capoeira. It was surely an ass-whooping, but it forced me to adapt in a very specific way. It changed my whole sense of awareness and evasiveness in the Roda, and it stuck with me until I stopped playing Capoeira. That's not the same as if he had just kicked me in the head as hard as he could and I spent the next week shitting teeth. Both would have been arse kickings, and both educational, but only one would be productive.

[MaartenSFS]

They aren't mutually exclusive. What I mean is that of the many ways that we try to improve ourselves every day, getting our arses handed to us is by far the most important catalyst.

Yes, Bhassler, that's what I'm talking about too, the constant pressure and consequences of taking risks..

[Bao]

Getting your ass kicked / investing in loss is important, but doesn't begin to address how to improve your weak areas, doesn't teach you how to win, only how to survive, doesn't even touch upon the mesolimbic dopamine system, how to get your mindset right e.g. fire in your belly, never being satisfied with your standard... and so on.

Here are three great videos on how to learn. Quiet different than the OP's advice.

Thanks for sharing the vids, great stuff. Especially the interview which was spot on.

About getting your ass kicked, sure, the OP is just too generalized. Yet, I think what you learn from someone who easily beats you up is what you choose to learn. If you meet skill, you can learn from a person's footwork, timing, strategy etc. Being there and feeling skill first hand is always IMHO a valuable experience.